Intro to Psalms
What are Psalmos, Psalterion and Psallos?
Greek words that represent the Book of Psalms
Psalmos: the title of the Book of Psalms in the Septuagint
Psalter: stringed instrument, psaltery, or harp
Psallos: to pull, twitch, play, pluck a musical instrument
What is the word for Psalms in Hebrew and what does it mean?
Tehillim or tehilla (title of Psalm 145)
It means praises or a song of praise
What is the Tanakh, the Septuagint and the Masoretic Hebrew Text and list the differences between them?
The Tanakh is the oldest Hebrew Bible, the first canonization of the Old Testament.
The Septuagint vs. The Masoretic Hebrew Text:
- difference in numbering: the Septuagint is behind by one
- Psalm 151 and the Deuterocanonical books in the Septuagint
- Greek vs. Hebrew
- Abbreviation of LXX vs. MT
- 2nd and 3rd century B.C. vs. 7th and 10th century A.D.
What is the significance of Psalm 151 (3 reasons) and in what texts does it appear (3 texts)?
1. Its preservation in the Septuagint and omission from the Masoretic text
2. It's a hymn chanted on Bright Saturday
3. Its historical accuracy
It appears in the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Syriac Peshitta
Prove the authorship of the Psalms (4 main examples)
1. Nehemiah founded a library which contained "writings of David" which the Psalms were a part of. (2 Maccabees 2:13)
2. Christ himself said "all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me" (Luke 24:44).
3. St. John Chrysostom states that Psalm 4 is written by David because the "petitioner" that was heard was David.
4. St. Athanasius states that Psalm 89 is by David then he says it's by Moses, but St. Jerome recognizes Moses as the author.